Rachel had no trouble following that order and its unspoken warning. Keep your head down, let your hair hide your face, don't draw attention to yourself. Aye, aye, sir. She walked from the car to the zoo at a brisk pace, eyes glued to the pavement, canvas tote clutched in her hand. Underneath paper, crayons, and all the other things she'd packed, the gym bag with its dangerous contents lay like a ten-ton rock. It bounced against her leg with every step. They had parked east of the zoo between Madison and Park Avenue, so she had quite a ways to go. From this direction, she would have to pass directly in front of the bench with the derelict Nick had pointed out to her. Heart thudding, she calculated the steps between her position and the far side of the bench, what she had come to think of as her safety zone. Once she'd passed the bench, she would be able to breathe normally again. Ten more steps to go. Eight more. Five. A hard shove spun her around. The bag flew out of her hand. She landed with a thump on the pavement.
